Beginnings
by DREWHHR
Summary: After the war, Harry is now free to live his life however he wants. So, with Hermione, they take care of Teddy Lupin, who brings them together. H/Hr, R/L, D/G. Weasleys exist in this story!
1. Teddy

Hey, wassup! I wanted to write this. It's going to be short. Maybe 1-3 chapters, I don't know. Anyway, it's about Harry and Hermione after the war. Like, right after. And Harry decides just what exactly he wants to do with his life now that he can live.

Weasleys exist in this story, however, Hermione never dated Ron and Harry never dated Ginny. Instead, Ron is in a strong relationship with Luna Lovegood; and you'll see with Ginny.

This is a father-mother-son kind of story between Harry and Hermione and Teddy. Teddy was born in April 1998, but in this story he was born in December 1997. I wanted to make him a little older.

Once again, Hermione in this story was born AFTER Harry. So she's younger than him.

**Beginnings**

**_Teddy_**

The wind blew through his hair as he stood up on the hill. He closed his eyes and felt it for the first time. The wind. He never got to enjoy it until now. The war was over. Many died. Some lived. All grieved. All celebrated.

He stood there in a pair of jeans, a long-sleeved navy blue shirt, and a gray zip-up hoody. He had just gotten out of the Hospital Wing. He had been in there for a few days recovering. He was so happy to get out of there.

What was he to do now? Should he become an auror like he wanted to before the war? Should he live in solitude? Should he run and leave without a goodbye? It would be the easiest thing to do. He had done his job. He saved the world from a dark corruption. No one no longer needed him.

So many had died. Fred. Dobby. Ted Tonks. Moody. Colin Creevey. Remus. Tonks. They left their baby son orphaned. Harry's godson. He and Hermione's godson. Ted "Teddy" Remus Lupin. He was five months old, Harry guessed. So innocent. So vulnerable. Harry had never met the tyke and already he was making comparisions between him and himself. They were both orphaned, and were sent to their only living relatives; only this time, Teddy was actually loved.

"Hey, Harry!" a voice called from afar. He turned to the voice and saw red hair. It was Ginny Weasley and another figure. She waved a little sadly, obviously for her brother, Fred. He gave a small one back. The figure wrapped his arms around her. Harry squinted his eyes to focus on who it was. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. That blonde hair, he knew it.

Draco Malfoy.

What was she doing with Draco Malfoy?! And why was he holding her?! Harry was concerned, but didn't want to deal with it right now. After all, he didn't seem to be hurting her.

He looked straight ahead again and sighed deeply.

And he thought for a while. He didn't want to face the funerals. He didn't want to see people crying. He didn't want to see their grief. But he knew he had to pay his respects. He heard a noise behind him, pulling him from his thoughts.

"Come on, you can do it, Teddy. Just move your feet," came a familiar voice. He turned around and smiled slightly. Hermione was walking up the grassy hill to him. In her fingers were two small hands that were attached to a tiny body. Little Teddy Lupin was being held up by his godmother. He had brown eyes and yellow hair. She practically carried him by his arms. He giggled when his feet left the ground. "Hehe," went his laugh, making Harry break out a wider smile. "Show Harry how you can walk...or attempt to walk actually." This last part she said to herself. The walking wasn't getting anywhere, but he was still young to start walking. Hermione lifted him into her arms and walked up to Harry, who moved down to her, getting away from the cliff as it was very dangerous for the little one.

"Hey," he said simply.

"Hey," she replied and hugged him gently, careful not to crush Teddy between them. "Hey, buddy, you like Hermione?" he asked his godson who just laughed and clapped his hands.

"He better," Hermione playfully warned.

Harry looked at her. _Really _looked at her. She looked a little happier than last he saw her. The black bruises around her eyes were gone, indicating she was getting more sleep now. Her hair was down today, waving in the wind, framing her face. Harry thought she never looked more beautiful. "So, this is Teddy?" he asked stupidly.

"Well, obviously," she said with a smile. "Andromeda let me have him for a bit, while she went get some sleep." She became serious now. "She's weak, Harry. She can't take care of him anymore."

"Wh-where is he to go?" he asked concernedly.

"With his godparents, of course!" she said.

"_Us?_" Harry asked shocked.

"Yeah."

"I-I don't know how to take care of a baby." He backed up a bit nervously as if he carried a disease and didn't want the baby to get it.

"Harry, it's okay. I'll help you," she reassured him. Teddy looked at his godfather curiously and reached out for him. Harry didn't know what he wanted.

"He wants you to hold him," the female told him.

"Oh...I've never held a baby before," he said reaching for his godson and took him in his arms, holding him tightly. Teddy smiled and stared at him with a strange expression on his face, as if he was trying to figure out if he liked this person or not. He apparently did because what he did next made Hermione want to die. Teddy wrapped his tiny arms around his godfather's neck, hugging him. Harry was stunned, but didn't falter. He kissed the side of his head and rubbed his back soothingly.

"He likes you," Hermione said with a smile, stroking the little boy's light blue hair, which probably meant calmness.

"Yeah," he agreed. He looked at her. "Hey, what's the deal with Ginny and Malfoy?"

Hermione's smile never left her face when she told this story. "Actually, I think this is pretty cute. He saved her in the Battle."

"What?!" he cried in disbelief.

"Yep," she said. "A Death Eater shot an _Avada Kedevra _at her and Malfoy pulled her out of the way, saving her. _And he's a Death Eater as well!_ And get this, it was Lucius Malfoy who threw the curse at her! He went against his own father to save a 'blood traitor'. Apparently, he's in love with her. She's beginning to fall in love with him. She saw him in a new light when he saved her."

Harry couldn't believe it. An ex-Death Eater and a poor pureblood together. Their fathers _hated _each other. But they were in love. It was like a Romeo and Juliet story. "How are the Weasleys taking it?"

"Well, Ron and his brothers are furious. Mr. Weasley's not too happy either. Mrs. Weasley's trying _really _hard to see the good in this. It's like she changed him into a good person or something. I really hope they see that."

"I don't blame the Weasleys for being angry, but I think they should give him a chance. I mean, she's happy! She deserves him, I guess. But if he hurts her, I'm going to hunt him down...and kick his ass," he said. No one was going to touch his surrogate sister.

Hermione covered Teddy's ears. "Harry! Language!"

"He doesn't know what it means!" he reasoned with her.

"Yeah, but how would you like if that was his first word?" she shook her head.

She was right, of course, as always.

"So, when are the funerals for his parents?" he asked.

"Tomorrow."

* * *

Harry put on his black suit with white button-down shirt. Hermione wore a black dress that was very pretty but she was not trying to be. In her arms, held a well-dressed Teddy. He had electric-blue hair today. It seemed that he knew what was going on and it made him depressed.

They stood with many other people at the graves of Nymphadora Tonks-Lupin and Remus Lupin. Andromeda stood by them and watched as her daughter and son-in-law were being buried. Harry held her as she cried.

He looked around at everyone else there. The Weasleys were there. Ron was holding onto Luna, who he had a strong relationship with. A few of the students that Remus Lupin had taught were there. The remaining of the Order.

What he saw on the other side of the graves made him angry. Narcissa Malfoy and her son were fighting very quietly. Well, Narcissa was talking to him, but he was not really listening.

Harry walked over to the broken family and said, "If you're going to do that, I want to ask you politely to continue this somewhere else or wait until the service is over. Please, show some respect."

Narcissa grabbed her son's arm and pulled it. "Come on, Draco."

"No!" he hissed at her and pulled away from her. "I'm in love with Ginny Weasley! Deal with it!" he went to her side and comforted her as she cried.

Narcissa folded her arms and stood her ground. She was going to wait until after the service to talk to him. Harry walked back to his spot next to Hermione and their godson. He noticed Andromeda staring daggers at her sister.

After the service, Andromeda rushed to her sister and asked, "What are you doing here?! You don't belong here!"

"Meda, she was my niece. Besides, I'm here to talk to my son. He doesn't belong here either," she said innocently.

"You are not welcome here! Your son has been forgiven and he doesn't want anything to do with you!" Draco stared daggers at his mother as well. His arms still around Ginny. He was very possessive about her. He didn't want his mother to come near her.

Narcissa suddenly turned her gaze to Teddy, still in Hermione's arms. She, along with Harry saw what she was looking at and the former held him tightly against her chest. Harry wrapped his arm around Hermione. Narcissa sneered and turned and left.

Everyone left the graves, all except Harry, Hermione, and Teddy. Teddy wiggled out of his godmother's grasp and onto the ground. He crawled over to the graves and touched a palm on his mother's and then on his father's. He knew. He knew it was them. Hermione started to cry and Harry held her.

"Come on, buddy, we have to go inside," Harry said to the little boy. Teddy looked at his godfather and sat down on the ground, looking down sadly. Harry walked over to him and lifted him into his arms. "Come on, let's go see Grandma." Teddy wrapped his arms around his neck and gazed at his late parents' graves. He waved to them as if saying, "'Bye-bye."

* * *

A month later, Harry and Hermione were living in the Potter Manor in Godric's Hollow. They had made a nursery for Teddy when he came to spend the night a few times, usually once a week.

However, Harry had him by himself tonight as Hermione went to Australia to restore her parents' memories and bring them back to England. He was sad when she left. But she should be coming back soon as she had phoned him not long ago.

"It's just you and me, buddy, remember from last week?" he said when Teddy looked around for his godmother. He loved her like a mother. His hair turned a light shade of blue, a little depressed. He loved his godfather, but when both of them were together, he was the happiest. "Hey, it's okay. 'Mione's going to be back. Don't worry." Harry had the little boy by himself once before, and he figured he could manage one more time. After all, it was night time and he was to give him back the next day at around two. "You hungry, Teddy?" The little boy's hair turned a faint brown, indicating that he was happier once he heard the word "hungry". He clapped his hands and giggled. "Alright then, buddy."

He took him into the kitchen and set him in his high chair. He snapped his bib on him and got to work on making his dinner; or getting the jars of baby food out of the cabinets. He had a jar of strained peas for dinner. Harry wanted to vomit when he saw the "food". Teddy was eating it up happily. "How can you eat this stuff, Teddy?"

The happy baby just ate and twiddled his forefingers happily. After he ate, Harry gave him a bath and put his pajamas on. He sat in the rocking chair and rocked him to sleep. The little boy lay in his godfather's arms with a pacifier in his mouth. Harry watched it go back and forth. He twitched every now and then, but didn't wake up.

Suddenly, he felt someone watching him. His head snapped up and he smiled. She was back.

His best friend, Hermione Granger stood there with a smile on her face and a suitcase in her hand. She set it down. She loved moments of walking in on Harry and Teddy. It was the cutest thing. "Hey," he whispered happy to see her.

"Hey," she replied and walked to the rocking chair. Two people he had only seen once or twice before, but had never properly met stood at the door. They smiled as they saw the baby. Harry believed these were her parents. He could see Hermione's beauty in her mother and her brown hair in her father.

"Are those your parents?" he asked after Hermione kissed the little boy's forehead gently. She nodded. "Yeah, I told them about Teddy and they wanted to meet him. I guess they can tomorrow when he's awake."

Harry nodded and stood up, kissing the baby's forehead and laying him down in his crib. Hermione pulled the blue blanket around his tiny body. "Goodnight, sweet baby boy."

"Goodnight, buddy."

Harry turned on the magic turning lamp that gave off lights of fish around the room. Hermione turned out the big lamp and turned on the baby monitor, taking the portable twin with her. Then, with Harry, they left the room, shutting the door, but leaving a crack.

When they got outside the room, Harry wrapped his arms around Hermione properly. "I've missed you so much." He kissed the side of her head.

"I've missed you, too, Harry." When they parted, Harry went to the two Grangers and introduced himself. "Hi, my name is Harry Potter. You must be Hermione's parents. It's nice to meet you." He stuck out his hand to Mr. Granger.

He smiled and shook it. "Jacob Granger, Harry. It's nice to finally meet you."

Harry went to shake her mother's hand, but he was surprised and shocked when she wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "Thank you so much, Harry. Thank you for keeping our daughter safe."

Harry just hugged her back nervously. "Erm...no problem, ma'am."

"Call me 'Charlotte'. You're practically family," she said after they parted.

"Erm...okay," he chuckled. "Would you like something to drink? Tea?" he offered.

"Yes, please," they said.

* * *

In the kitchen, the three sat down at the table while Harry made tea. When he put the kettle on the stove, he turned to look at them and asked, "So, when did you get in?" The question was more directed to Hermione.

"A few hours ago," she answered. "I went with them to get settled back into our old home. There was no damage at all. I was going to call, but I wanted to surprise you and Teddy. And Mum and Dad wanted to meet you two."

"Oh, maybe you could meet him tomorrow," Harry suggested. "He'll be here until two o'clock when his grandmother comes to get him. I'd really like if you'd stop by for lunch."

Hermione smiled at him. Harry was so cute and sweet.

"Sure, that would be lovely," Charlotte said.

The kettle hissed and Harry took it off of the stove and poured the hot water into four teacups. He gave one to each person and they put their teabags in.

"Thank you, Harry," Jacob said gratefully.

"So, Harry, what do you do?" Charlotte asked.

Harry took a sip of his tea and said, "Oh, uh, I don't have a profession just yet." He blushed. "But I would like to be an auror. That's a Dark wizard catcher, kind of like police officer. My parents were aurors and it sounds really interesting. But, um...I'm not sure if I want to do it anymore."

Hermione looked confused. Harry's always wanted to be an auror. Why didn't he want to be one anymore?

"Why?" her mother voiced.

"Well, I have a baby to take care of. I really just want to be there for him and not have to go off to work all the time. Besides, my parents left me with enough money to go without working for a few lifetimes," he chuckled to himself. "And I really don't want to work. I want to pay attention to my godson."

"_Our _godson," Hermione corrected.

"Right, _our_ godson," he agreed.

"We're in this together, Harry."

He smiled and nodded. "I just...want to live, you know? I haven't really had a life in seventeen years. I think I would like to spend time enjoying my life instead of working. I think, in a way, I guess,...I deserve it. I don't mean to sound conceited."

"You don't sound conceited at all, son," Jacob said. "You just sound like a teenager who has had a troubled life and wants to live the most of his life. Do whatever you want. Go sailing. Go fly a kite. Go jump out of a plane...with a parachute, of course."

"Don't you dare, Harry!" Hermione warned and they all laughed.

"I won't," he assured her.

"I'm just giving you examples of what you could do now that you're a free man. Enjoy your life. If you want to take care of a baby, go ahead. That will be a lucky baby because it was raised by a wonderful person who did whatever he could to keep everyone safe, including him," Jacob said. His words touched Harry's heart. "No one can dictate your life but yourself."

Harry nodded and said, "Thank you, sir."

"Hermione, you live here now?" her mother asked her.

The seventeen-year-old blushed and looked down. "Erm...yeah, actually. I've been living here for a month. Well, two weeks because I went get you two in Australia. Harry asked me if I wanted to live with him, so I told him I would to help with Teddy when he comes over every week."

"It has really made my life easier," Harry added in. "Really, she watches him when I go shower or whatever. Go to the store. She's really great with him. He loves her very much. He's very attached to her. If you want her to move away, please don't. I really like living with her."

The Grangers looked at each other and smiled. "Harry, we weren't going to pull her away from here. We wouldn't do that. Besides, we couldn't anyway. She's emancipated from us."

Harry blushed and nodded. He finished his tea and put it in the sink.

The Grangers finished their tea and decided to go home and unpack and get to bed.

"We'll be back at noon tomorrow for lunch and to meet Teddy," Charlotte said hugging the both of them. "Goodbye."

They said their goodbyes and left by Floo.

In the kitchen, Harry put the teacups in the sink and turned to his best friend who was behind him. He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her. "I've missed you so much."

She hugged him back and chuckled. "Harry, you've already said that."

"I know, but I really did. It hasn't been the same without you. Teddy's missed the hell out of you, as well." He kissed the top of her head. He laughed. "You should have seen me with him today and last week. Oh, it was a nightmare without you. But he's still alive. That's the important part."

She laughed as well. "Of course it is. Oh, I missed him so much, too. I missed his little giggles. I needed a baby in my arms."

"Come on, let's go talk." Harry took her hand and they went upstairs. Hermione picked up her suitcase and brought it into her room. Harry put the baby monitor on the dresser so they could hear him.

Hermione put her suitcase on her bed and unzipped it to unpack it.

"So, how was Australia?" he asked sitting on the bed where it wasn't occupied by a suitcase.

"It was alright, I guess. It took me a week to find them. I restored their memories and they..." she stopped short as if she was about to cry.

"They what?" he encouraged her to finish.

"They were quite furious with me for making them forget me. But I told them what happened. That it was safe to come home. That I did it to save them. Then they forgave me," she smiled weakly at him.

He smiled back. "That was very strong of you to do, Hermione. You made them forget you to protect them. I'm glad they came to their senses."

Once she finished unpacking, she put her empty suitcase in her closet and laid on the bed with Harry, exhausted. Harry lay back against the pillows and opened his arms up. She laid her head down on his chest, wrapping her arm around his torso. Harry wrapped his arms around her, keeping her close. "I'm so tired," she yawned.

"Then sleep," he said kissing her on the top of the head again. He took his glasses off and tokk out his wand. He extinguished the light so that she could fall asleep. Holding her against him, they both fell asleep.

* * *

A baby's cry woke them up the next morning at seven o'clock. Hermione groaned and rolled off of Harry, who opened his eyes and looked at her chuckling a bit. "Come on, let's go get him." They rolled out of bed and went into the nursery to get the little boy.

He was standing up in his crib, holding onto the bars. There was a smell in the air as Hermione said, "Whew! We have a Code Brown over here!" Harry laughed at her joke.

Once Teddy saw Hermione, he stopped crying and his lonely blue hair turned a happy yellow and he laughed and giggled excitedly. "Hey, Teddy Bear! Did you miss me?" She lifted him from his crib into her arms. She put him on the baby changing station and changed his diaper.

When she was done, she threw away the dirty one and picked him up again. "Come on, Harry, let's get him some breakfast." Harry followed them out of the room and tickled Teddy. He giggled really hard, satisfying Hermione, who missed his giggles.

They got to the kitchen and Hermione put him in his high chair and snapped on his bib. Harry got out applesauce in a baby food jar, a tiny spoon, and a bottle of milk from the fridge. Hermione took them and fed the baby.

* * *

At noontime, the Grangers came over as Harry was cooking stew. Hermione answered the door with Teddy in her arms. "Hey, Mum, hey, Dad!" she greeted and let them in. She hugged them and said, "This is Teddy."

"Hello, little one. My name is Charlotte Granger and this is Jacob. We're your godmother's Mum and Dad. I guess we're your surrogate grandparents," Charlotte said kissing his forehead. Hermione blushed.

Teddy looked at his godmother unsure of what to do. "It's okay. 'They're nice. Wave to them. Tell them 'hi'. Go on, Teddy Bear." The six-month-old waved to the both of them smiling and his hair turning a dark yellow, almost cream-colored.

Harry came out from the kitchen and greeted them, "Hey, Mr. and Mrs. Granger. I see you met this one here." He gestured to his godson.

"It's 'Charlotte' and 'Jacob'," Hermione's Dad corrected and Harry nodded. "And, yes, Hermione just introduced us."

They ate lunch and talked some more about the future. At one-thirty, they decided to leave as Teddy would be leaving in half an hour.

Harry packed up his godson's belongings, just the essential things, like some of his toys he loved and a few of his clothes. At ten to two, he brought them down to the living room, where Hermione was playing with him. He hated when Teddy left. Hermione wasn't as lively when he left and there was no one to brighten his day, just Hermione.

Teddy saw his bag and frowned, his hair turning blue. He knew what it meant. He loved his grandmother, but he didn't like leaving his godparents. Harry came and sat next to them on the ground. He laid down and Teddy crawled over to him laughing at him. He threw himself on his godfather. Harry laughed and grabbed him, tickling him with no mercy. Teddy laughed hysterically and couldn't stop. Harry only stopped when his arm got tired.

Two o'clock passed. And then three. Soon it was four o'clock.

Andromeda was supposed to be there two hours before. Harry and Hermione were getting nervous that something bad had happened to her. They tried Flooing her and calling her, but no one picked up.

Finally, there was a knock at the door, so Harry stood to get it. He opened it and was confused. It was a Ministry official it looked like and a woman who looked to be in her forties. He smiled sadly. "Hello, what can I do for you?"

"Yes, is this Potter Manor?" Harry nodded.

"Yes, sir, it is."

"You're Harry Potter?" Harry nodded again.

"Do you know an Andromeda Tonks?" Harry's heart dropped, but he nodded slowly.

"What happened?" he asked urgently.

Hermione heard the old woman's name and stood with Teddy in her arms. She walked and stood behind her best friend, awaiting the answer.

"We found her dead body in her home."

TBC...

* * *

Well, there's ch. 1. So there is going to be more than 1 chapter. I'm planning on only 3 chapters however. It's going 2 be rly short, but still good. This was just something in my head for a while.

The part where Hermione says, "Code Brown". I actually said that the other day about my baby nephew. Haha. It was funny. I said, "Um...we have a Code Brown over here." Haha.

Anyway, hope you like it. Will be updating Bound, Found, and Additions soon.

Pleez review!

DREWHHR


	2. Parents

Hey, thanx for the reviews!

Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, there would be a totally different ending in the back of book 7. J. K. Rowling owns Harry Potter.

**harrynmioneluv: **yeah, if you've ever seen that movie Snow Dogs, his mom calls him "Teddy Bear" as well. I don't think I got it from that movie. I just thought of it. I think its rly cute as well.

READ THIS! This is amazing! My nephew who's not even 3 months old yet is already talking! He says "Lola", who is his older sister, "hi" and "hey". I'm dead serious! I witnessed it! Haha. It's amazing!

**_Parents_**

She had a heart attack. A bad one that killed her. Hermione hated the thought that the little, old woman had lived alone. She felt guilty that no one lived with her to take care of her. She wished she could go back in time, but Time Turners were illegal now.

She stood with Harry and Teddy watching the old woman being lowered into the ground. Hermione held the little boy in her arms again. He seemed to know what was going on as well. He pointed to the lowering casket and looked at his godmother. She nodded and kissed the little boy on his forehead, a tear rolling down her cheek. Harry wrapped an arm around her like last time and held her to him.

Hermione looked up at the people that were there. Many of the people who knew her, the Weasleys, Luna, Draco Malfoy, and Narcissa Malfoy. She was Andromeda's sister, but that did not give her the right to be here. She wasn't even crying. She wasn't even looking at her descending sister. She was instead staring at her great-nephew in Hermione's arms. Hermione, once again, held the toddler tightly.

After the service, Narcissa walked over to the three of them. "Hello, H-H-Harry," she struggled to call him by his first name.

"What do you want, Narcissa?" Harry asked pushing Hermione and Teddy behind him, shielding them.

"I was just wondering where this little lad was going," she asked sickly sweetly gesturing to Teddy. "I know my sister was taking care of him, but well..." She looked to the grave as if to show them what happened. "Who is going to take care of him?"

"We are," Hermione said with a glare. "We're his godparents. Chosen by Remus and Tonks. He's ours."

"Oh, surely, you're not going to raise him. You two are only seventeen-years-old." She laughed. "I assure you he will be safe with me." She made a grab for the baby behind Harry's back. She had grabbed hold of the baby, Hermione had pulled back, and Harry took Narcissa's arms away from his godson. Teddy started to cry as the mean lady grabbed him and hurt him.

"Don't you touch him!" Hermione said possessively and trying to sooth her godson. "Shh, Teddy Bear. It's okay. You're fine. Shh. 'Mione's here." She bounced him a few times and his sobs subsided.

"Please leave, Narcissa, and never bother us again. Teddy belongs to us. Don't ever try to take him again," Harry warned her with a determination in his face and eyes. She became a little scared and left.

Harry turned around and gathered his best friend into a hug. "Hey, is he okay?"

"I think so."

"Hey," a voice said. They looked and parted, seeing Draco Malfoy and Ginny Weasley standing there. "I'm so sorry about that, Harry and Hermione," Draco said. It was a sincere apology. "I don't even know why she showed up here. I mean, I know she was her sister and all, but Mrs. Tonks was shunned and Mother hated her. She didn't even show any respect for her dead sister."

"That's alright, Draco," Harry said holding out his hand. Draco shook it. "Do you know _why _she came?"

"Probably because she wanted _him_. Since her only son is now good and her husband is in Azkaban, she probably thought she could raise him to be Dark. Mental, huh?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, anyway, I'm happy for you and Ginny and I'm sorry your family is such a complete failure, because you have proven to be very successful in redeeming yourself."

Ginny smiled and hugged Harry. She was happy he approved of her choice. "Take care of Hermione and Teddy, Harry."

He nodded and the two left.

"Do you ever think we're going to have one of those?" Harry slightly smiled as Draco asked his new girlfriend that question.

"Hey, mate." Harry smiled at Ron and Luna. "I guess he's yours now."

"Yeah, Hermione's too. We're going to take real good care of him."

"He'll be a Potter," Luna said. "a Granger, a Lupin, and a Tonks."

"Yeah," Harry agreed. He looked down at Ron and Luna's adjoined hands. He so wanted to hold Hermione's hand like that. He wanted her. He needed her. He loved her. Then something caught his eye. He saw a sparkle. It was a diamond ring on Luna's hand.

"Is that a ring?" he asked pointing to the jewelry.

Ron looked down and blushed. "Yeah, Luna and I are engaged."

Harry and Hermione grinned. The latter gave both of them a hug.

"Well, since I'm only sixteen, I'm a little young, so it's more of a promise ring for right now. But when I graduate, Ronald and I are going to get married," Luna told them.

"I'm so happy for the both of you."

"Excuse me," a Ministry official came up to them. "Mr. Potter? Ms. Granger?"

"Yes," they said and Ron and Luna waved them goodbye.

"I am Albert Price. I am from the Department of Child Services. I am here to talk about Ted Remus Lupin. I understand you two are only seventeen and are the godparents of him. I was wondering if you would like to give him up if your hands are too full," he said.

Hermione glared at him and held the little boy tightly against her chest. "No! He's staying with us. Why does everyone want to take him away from us?!" she cried.

"Alright, alright, ma'am, I apologize. I will set a court date for you and Mr. Potter here to come and sign adoption papers for him, if you would like to adopt him," he suggested.

Hermione nodded. "Alright, your court date will be on the tenth of this month, June at noon," he said after a minute reviewing his schedule.

The two nodded and he left. Hermione looked at Harry and said, "We better get him home."

Harry agreed and wrapped his arms around them and initiated side-along apparation. They landed in their living room.

Hermione looked at Teddy, who was nodding off and snuggling into her neck. "I'm going to put this little guy to bed."

Harry nodded. "I'll come with you."

He followed her up the stairs to the nursery. He loosened his tie and unbuttoned a few buttons, taking off his jacket and slipping it in his room. He walked into the nursery and saw a wonderful sight.

Hermione was rocking him to sleep in her arms. He was looking at her and giggling. "Alright, it's time to sleep, Teddy Bear."

He cooed and squealed a bit before snuggling into her embrace. He stuck a thumb in his mouth and Hermione rocked him back and forth, humming a sweet tune. He began to nod off into dreamland.

Once his breathing became even, she stood up and laid him in his crib. She wrapped the blanket over him to keep him warm. She kissed his forehead. "Goodnight, Teddy Bear. I love you." '_She's going to make a great mother one day_,' Harry thought.

Harry walked over beside her and looked at him. "Goodnight, buddy. I love you." He slipped his hand into Hermione's. She gasped a bit, but didn't pull her hand out. Harry just stared at his godson. He was so innocent and so many bad things had happened to him already. He was so young. He thought Teddy reminded him of himself. He lost his parents at a young age. He was sent to his last surviving relative, but this time Harry felt as if he had to make it right. He would not let what happened to him happen to this little boy. He would not treat him like a slave. He would not beat him. He would not stick him in a cupboard. He would cherish him and love him. He hoped Teddy would love him back.

Hermione looked at him. "Are you okay?" she whispered.

He hesitated, but nodded, still staring at him. A tear rolled down his cheek. "Harry...you're crying. You're not fine." She led him out of the room, turning on the baby monitor and the magic turning lamp, along with turning out the big lamp.

He pulled away from her and walked to the kitchen. Hermione's heart broke as he pushed her away. Harry tore his glasses off and put them on the counter. Then he kicked his socks and shoes off. Finally he broke down, sinking to the ground in anguish. He sat, squatting down, with his back supporting his body against the cabinets under the sink. He held his held and curled himself up into a ball, sobbing.

Hermione watched him in agony. She felt so bad for him. She cautiously walked to him. "...Harry...?" He didn't answer. "Harry...?" She knelt down next to him and put a soft hand on his shoulder. He flinched, but didn't pull away. She slid her hand from his shoulder to his neck, stroking it comfortingly. He looked up at her and fell into her embrace. "Hermione..."

"Shh...it's okay, Harry. It's okay. I'm here. I'm here. I won't leave you." She kissed the top of his head and rocked him from side to side.

"Hermione..." he repeated. He wasn't calling her. He just liked to know she was there. "Hermione..."

"I'm here. I'm here. I won't leave you. I promise."

"Don't...don't let anyone take him away from us," he told her.

"What?" she asked making sure she heard him right.

"D-don't let _anyone_ take our son away from us," he repeated.

Hermione smiled when he said "our son". He was theirs now. "I won't, Harry. I promise. He's ours. He's ours. He's not going anywhere. He's staying here. He's our little boy. He's our son. He's staying here," she repeated trying to convince him and herself that no one was going to take their son away from them.

"Our son..." he said. "_Our _son..." He loved the sound of that.

They stayed there curled up in each other's arms, afraid to let go.

* * *

The next day, they took their baby to the park in his stroller. He gazed at everything. Hermione took him out and he pointed to a dog barking a few yards away from them. He giggled, his pacifier going back and forth. "Yeah, look, it's a dog."

Harry opened the blanket and set it on the ground. He and Hermione sat on it. The latter put the baby down and he sat in front of them. Harry decided to be playful. He covered his eyes and then quickly uncovered them. "Peek-a-boo!" Teddy giggled and cooed.

"Peek-a-boo!" Another giggle.

He loved "peek-a-boo". He knew what was coming. He knew it was just his godfather, but he still laughed everytime. Hermione enjoyed his giggles.

Suddenly they heard a small yapping noise and a Yorkshire Terrier came running up and licked Teddy's cheek. He didn't cry. He didn't scream. He gasped and began to laugh harder as it tickled his cheek.

"Mackie!" came the voice of an angry owner. "I'm so sorry about that!" she cried to them. "Mackie, bad boy!" The puppy bowed his head in shame and walked away from them. "I'm so sorry he disturbed your son."

"It's okay, really. He's quite happy, actually," Hermione said both of them not correcting her for thinking he was their son because he was.

"I'm sorry again," she apologized one last time before she took her dog away and left.

Hermione wiped the dog slobber off of Teddy's face. "Ew, Teddy! Dog slobber!"

When she was done, Teddy got on his hands and knees and crawled to the edge of the blanket. "Don't go off of the blanket, Teddy!" they warned.

He looked back and stopped. He turned his head and saw a boy a few years older than him give his mother an impromptu small bouquet of flowers. He looked around and gathered six yellow flowers and looked back at his godmother, who was talking to his godfather. He crawled back over to her and held out the flowers. She looked at them and grinned. She picked him up into her arms. "Is this for me?" she asked. She took them and said, "Thank you, Teddy Bear!" She kissed his forehead again. Harry smiled at them and laid down on his back. His right arm was out in the middle of the blanket. Once Hermione put him down, Teddy dove for the hand. He placed his in his godfather's. Harry looked up as he felt the soft hand. Teddy was comparing their hand sizes. His eyebrow furrowed quizzically. Why was his godfather's hand bigger than his?

Harry smiled and quickly grabbed him, startling him and making him squeal. He tickled him. "Tickle monster!" He giggled again. Hermione laughed, but tried to get Harry to go easy on him or else he'll be a little traumatized.

Teddy began to tire out and so Harry laid him on his chest and he fell asleep.

* * *

On June tenth, the young pull-togethered family went to the Wizengamot in the Ministry of Magic. Harry held a sleeping Teddy this time. He woke up when they walked into the court room.

It wasn't the Minister of Magic who was the head of the Department of Child Services. Instead, it was a man who looked very stern and must not be happy with something. Harry and Hermione sat down in two chairs in front of him and the rest of the Wizengamot. Teddy sat in Harry's lap and played with a blanket. They didn't want to bring any toy with them in case he got a little too excited.

"Harry Potter? Hermione Granger?" the head of that Department asked and they nodded. "I am Jay Freeman, head of Department of Child Services. We are here to discuss where Ted Remus Lupin, age: six months, will be placed. We reviewed your case and we have a few problems. First one we have a problem with is that neither of you finished your education at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"Professor Minerva McGonagall said that we didn't need to," Hermione explained. "She said that we defeated Voldemort and there was nothing else to learn."

Mr. Freeman nodded and continued, "Second thing, neither of you have a job. How are you to raise a child?"

"My parents left me with a load of money, enough for me to not work for lifetimes. Also, I don't want to work. I want to take care of him," Harry answered.

Hermione nodded, agreeing that she wanted to help raise Teddy.

"Thirdly, you two aren't married. You don't _have_ to get married, but the best way to raise a child is to do it married. A married family is a strong one," he said.

Hermione and Harry looked at each other and blushed.

"Lastly, you are seventeen and very young to raise a child."

Harry and Hermione looked confused. They were legal in both worlds. They voiced this.

"Yes, but you are too young to raise a child. We might have to take him away from you. If you were married, we might let you keep him."

"What?!" Hermione cried startling Teddy. He looked up at her quizzically. Something was wrong. "No! He was given to us by his parents! They made us his godparents! It's written in their will! Check it!"

"Ma'am, please calm down. I think Ted would be better off with a family that was married and a little older," he said.

An official came up to them and took the child from Harry, who wasn't paying attention to what was happening. Once Harry knew what was happening, he stood up and reached for his son. Hermione right behind him. Teddy looked at his godparents and cried, reaching out for them. His hair had changed from a calm light blue to a scared black to an angry red and then to a depressed dark blue. It alternated between black to red to dark blue and then to black again. All of a sudden, the official was shoved backwards towards them, but not quite at them. Teddy had his first spark of accidental magic.

"Teddy!" Hermione called.

Harry was angry. He looked at the head of the Department and yelled, "You take him away from us, you might as well take his life away because _no one _can love him as much as Hermione and I can!"

Mr. Freeman stopped short and looked at him. Teddy was still crying and reaching out for him. Hermione was beginning to cry and she went after Teddy. Harry grabbed her and held her back against his chest. He wanted to go after the little boy as well, but he figured that if they went after him, they wouldn't give him to them for sure.

"Teddy!" she cried.

"Hermione! Listen to me, you can't go after him," he soothed her. "They won't give him to us if we do."

"But he's my little boy!" she cried as she sobbed.

"I know! He's mine, too! We'll get him, I promise you!" He kissed her on the side of the head.

"Alright! I can't do this anymore!" Mr. Freeman said standing up. "I was paid off to keep him away from you two. I was told to find whatever faults you had and use it against you. But I can't sit around here and watch as a little baby get separated from two people who would be perfect as parents. After this, I'm resigning as head of this Department. I can't believe I was weak enough to give into money. Custody of Ted Remus Lupin is granted to Harry Potter and Hermione Granger." He slammed his gavel down. "Bring out the adoption papers. That's it! I'm out!"

Harry and Hermione smiled as they brought out adoption papers for them to sign. The official who had Teddy came closer to them and Teddy practically launched into Hermione's arms, who smothered him with kisses. The baby stopped crying and hugged her tightly, in fear of being taken away from them again; and his hair turned green with relief. They signed the papers and Harry had to ask, "Who was it who paid you?"

"Narcissa Malfoy," he answered.

Harry looked at Hermione with a knowing look. She nodded and rolled her eyes.

But he was theirs now. He was a Potter and a Granger now. However, his last name was still "Lupin" in honor of his parents.

* * *

"We did it," Hermione smiled watching the little boy play with a truck in the nursery. They were sitting on the ground looking at him. "He's officially ours now."

Harry nodded and smiled. "Yeah."

Teddy looked up at them and smiled.

"Hey, Teddy, Harry loves you," the seventeen-year-old boy told him. Teddy giggled and his hair turned yellow. He crawled over to him and lifted himself up, a little wobbly. Harry helped him stand up and lifted him into his arms. He tossed him into the air a few times, making him laugh from his gut. He stopped and set him down on the ground.

"What is he going to call us?" Harry asked his best friend.

She shook her head. "I don't know. 'Aunt Hermione', 'Uncle Harry' sound okay. Or just 'Hermione' and 'Harry'. Maybe even 'Mummy' and 'Daddy'," she suggested with a blush. Harry looked at her and smiled weakly.

"That would be nice to be called that, but I don't want to take Remus' place," he said sadly.

"You won't, Harry. You're taking care of his son. He would be so proud of you. The least he can do is let him call you 'Dad'," Hermione reasoned with him. "And me 'Mummy', I hope."

He smiled and knew she was right, as always. "You'd be a great mother," he said looking back at their son. Hermione blushed, but smiled.

"Thanks, Harry. You'd be a great father, too."

"I hope so," he said truthfully. "I just can't believe Narcissa. I can't believe she would go that far to paying someone to keep Teddy away from us."

"I know, and I think the head of the Department was really nice that he did that. He accepted the money, which was wrong, but he _knew _he did wrong; and he quit his job because of it. I just have to say that he did a good thing today," Hermione agreed. "But I don't think we will have to worry about her again, will we Teddy Bear?" she asked Teddy, making him smile.

* * *

Two nights later, the Weasleys had a barbeque party for them at the Burrow to celebrate Teddy coming into the family. All of the Weasleys were there, Draco, Luna, and the Grangers were invited, as well.

Teddy was passed around from person to person. "Hmmm...what do you think, Harry? Quidditch player?" Ron hinted with a waggle of his eyebrows as he held the little tyke. Harry grinned widely and looked at his son. "Absolutely."

"Um...no. At least, not for a while, Harry. I don't want to see him on a broom until he is at least eleven years old," she warned.

Harry asked her, "So, can he be on a broom when you're _not _looking?" Hermione playfully hit him on the arm, making everyone laugh. "I'm just kidding. I'm kidding." She shook her head, but smiled and kissed his cheek.

They ate their barbeque and had to leave at almost nine to put the little one to bed. Teddy was pretty much wiped out. He was resting his head in Hermione's shoulder when they left. They went into the nursery. For the past two days, they had went back and forth between their home and Andromeda's, getting the rest of his belongings and putting all of Andromeda's in her vault at Gringotts. They didn't know what to do with it.

As for her house, there was no heir, so they gave it to one of the last surviving Order members, who had a large family and a small house. He was very grateful because it fit him and his family perfectly.

They were living happily, but Teddy felt as if something was missing from his two new parents. Something big. The way they acted around each other was very loving, but they looked like they wanted more. He could tell they were in love, but they didn't act on it. They didn't kiss, or at least not on the mouth, like he saw that red-haired man and blonde lady do.

He wanted them to be a proper family, so he vowed to get his new parents together.

TBC...

* * *

Hey, there was the 2nd chapter. I have plans for a 3rd and I MAY do more. Idk.

This is sort of inspired by me and my 2 nephews. Apparently, I am my one-year-old nephew's favorite person. So I got the inspiration for Hermione to sort of be Teddy's favorite person from that. He loves "peek-a-boo".

Oh, I picked June 10th for the court date because, well, that's my birthday. Hehe. Its a happy day for me and so I wanted it to be a happy day for them and it ended up being just that.

The part where Teddy is licked on the cheek by that dog is actually a true event. We have a home video of our family at Christmas when I wasn't even one. I was like 6 months old. We had a small dog and she was licking my cheek or whatever and I kept giggling.

Pleez review!

DREWHHR


	3. Suggestion

Okay, so there might be more than 3 chapters. We'll see how this one goes.

Whoa, fanfiction got a change, eh? This is different. Haha. But cool.

Btw, go see Clash of the Titans in 3-D, not 2-D. 3-D, boo! Its effing amazing! I sat towards the front in the middle of the row. I had a smile on my face b/c the special fx were *sings* AWESOOOMMMMEEE!!!!!

Anyway, here's the new chapter.

**_Suggestion_**

They were a family now. Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Teddy Lupin. A thrown-together family. Teddy was now almost a year old and was walking everywhere. Harry and Hermione had to baby-proof the Manor from top to bottom. A few times, however, Harry wasn't sure how to open a cabinet and had to get Hermione to help him. Teddy loved to run away from them because he loved it when they caught him and tickled him.

Teddy still hadn't started to talk yet. The only word he said was "uh-oh". Harry and Hermione thought that was really cute. When he would drop his bottle, when he would trip and fall, when he would walk in on Harry in the shower, he would say "uh-oh".

They would try so hard to get him to say something other than "uh-oh", but he would not say anything. He would try, but nothing would come out. Teddy was still trying to get his parents together. He would not go to sleep unless both of them were there. He would not eat unless both of them were there.

One day in November, the family decided to go to Diagon Alley to get ice cream at Florean Fortescue's. It was too cold for ice cream, but not for them. Harry got vanilla, while Hermione got strawberry cheesecake. They got Teddy a plain chocolate one and fed it to him. He shivered at the coldness as he had never had an ice cream before. They laughed as he shivered, yet grinned at the amazing taste. In the end, he got sticky chocolate all over his face and Hermione had to wipe it up.

Everyone in the ice cream shop thought they were the cutest little family they had ever seen. They thought it was cute that Harry and Hermione took their son out for ice cream. "Can you say 'Mione'?" Hermione tried to get him to say.

He tried to say it, but got no where. Hermione just kissed the crown of his head. "What about 'Harry'? Can you say 'Harry'?" she tried this time.

Nothing.

"You're going to have to say it sometime, Teddy Bear."

"Uh-oh," went Teddy as a glob of ice cream fell to the floor.

"Oh, that's okay," Harry said. "Someone will clean it up, buddy."

* * *

The Grangers loved to have Teddy over. He was a young life that made them feel lively. He was the grandson they had desperately wanted. They gave him presents all the time, nothing that dealt with sugar, as in candy, as they were dentists. They gave him toys, like stuffed animals and they even gave him Hermione's old teddy bear that she had when she was his age. Teddy squealed when he saw it and hugged it tightly as they put it in his hands.

"He's so cute, Hermione," Charlotte said to her daughter after they put Teddy down in the guest bedroom. When they had left him, he had been snuggling his new teddy bear. They were in Hermione's old room, while Jacob and Harry were watching a football game on the television in the living room.

"Yeah, I know," she smiled to herself, fiddling with the purple bedspread. "He's a good kid."

Charlotte looked carefully at her daughter. "Hermione, are you sure this is what you want to do? Taking care of Teddy?"

Hermione looked up at her mother confused and almost as if she had been insulted. "Of course. I actually don't see myself doing anything else. Teddy needs me. And...I need him. I can't believe you would think that I would rather be doing something else."

"I just wanted to know if this is what you really wanted," the Granger matriarch replied. "Taking care of a child is a _big _responsibility. Are you sure you're giving him your full attention?"

Hermione sighed, not exactly knowing what to say. "He-he's alive, isn't he? I give him as much attention as Tonks would have given him. As much as you've given me. He's my little boy now."

"You're right, I'm sorry I questioned you about that." She paused before asking, "Have you two been teaching him to speak yet?"

Hermione smiled again. "_Trying_ to teach him to speak." She added, " But we've gotten nowhere. He won't say 'Harry' or 'Mione'. He just says 'uh-oh'. It's pretty cute, actually. He walked in on Harry in the shower once. I heard him say, 'uh-oh'. It was so cute." They both laughed.

"So you're enjoying motherhood?" Charlotte asked.

Hermione bit her lip cutely, thinking to herself and answering, "I wouldn't have it any other way. I wouldn't want anyone else to be his mother, except for Tonks...if she...was...well...still alive." She looked down sadly. She knew the young woman had given her the responsibility to raise her son, but she didn't want to take the place of someone who was so amazing.

"Hermione," her mother lifted her chin to look up at her, "...she chose you to be his mother now. As you said, he's your little boy now. He's yours and Harry's. No one can take him away from you two."

"They've already done it once, Mum. I couldn't bear to see him leave my arms again," Hermione said with a tear rolling down her cheek. Charlotte wiped it away with her thumb. "He's been taken away from so many people already. Tonks, Remus, Andromeda and us."

"But he was put back into your arms, wasn't he?" Charlotte asked. "Wasn't he?" she repeated and Hermione nodded. "You three are to become a family now. A mother, a father, and a son." The eighteen-year-old blushed at those words. "I don't know if Narcissa is going to go after him again. He seems to be her prey now, trying to raise another dark son. You and Harry need to find a way where she won't touch him ever again."

"Like how?"

"You and Harry get married."

Hermione's jaw dropped. Had her mother gone crazy? "What?! Mum, Harry and I are just friends. We-we can't marry each other." She blushed.

"Yes, you can. To save Teddy from being taken away from you. To save him from becoming the next Voldemort. To save the human race. Just marry him. You will be a Potter and together your new name, Harry's name, will make you two the most powerful couple in the world. Teddy will be safe and Narcissa will give up. She would not _dare _mess with the Potters."

"It's just a suggestion," she added after a moment.

Hermione thought about this. Maybe they could get married. They could bond and share their magic and be very powerful and _no one_ would mess with Teddy. He would be safe from everyone. But be married to Harry? She was only eighteen. Marriage should come a little later. Ron and Luna were going to get married after Luna's graduation, but they were in love. Harry and Hermione were not in love.

Were they?

* * *

"So, Harry, you like living with Hermione?" Jacob asked as they watched the football game.

"Oh, yes, sir. Hermione's great, really. She's amazing with Teddy. I don't know what would happen if she wasn't with me," he answered nervously. Being in a room with Jacob Granger, his _female _roommate's father, was a little intimidating. He was afraid he might try to threaten him and might assume he had walked in on Hermione naked.

"So, Teddy is a 'metamogus'? Is that what you said? With the hair changing?" Jacob asked.

Harry chuckled a bit. "_Metamorphagus_. Yeah, it took me a long time to say it as well. His mother was one. Damn good one, too. Within time, he could change his face, sprout a tail, maybe even change his whole body. His father on the other hand..." He chuckled and his voice trailed.

"What? What was his father?"

"Remus Lupin was a werewolf. And it is possible that Teddy is one, as well. He's too young to change, but it will be soon that he will be old enough to know if he is one, too."

"A werewolf?" the Granger patriarch asked with widened eyes.

"Yes, sir. Hermione and I have read a lot about it. He'll be too young for the venom to affect us. He could bite us, but nothing could happen. We'll be fine. And I can assure you that nothing bad would happen to Hermione," he assured him.

Jacob nodded. "You're a good man, Harry Potter. The best I've seen. You're a better man than I was at your age, that's for sure."

"Well...thank you, sir," the eighteen-year-old said blushing and running a hand through his hair.

"What is the little sprout going to call you? Have you two decided?" Jacob asked after a while.

"Erm...well, we have been trying to get him to say 'Harry' and 'Mione', but he won't. It is a little too early, but Hermione read something about early child development...I don't know. It seemed like a really good deal. Right now, all he says is 'uh-oh'."

Jacob burst out laughing and Harry joined in.

"Just 'Harry' and 'Mione'? Not something else?"

"Like what? I called my godfather by his first name."

"Yeah, but he didn't adopt you. You and Hermione adopted Teddy. You're his father and mother now."

Harry looked down sadly. He didn't want to be compared to only of the closest people his parents were with. No one could compare to that man. He was one of Harry's mentors, a second godfather. "I don't want to take the place of Remus. He was too special to me, sir. Hermione and I have already talked about this. She said that Remus and Tonks declared us to be his parents if something were to happen to them, and the least they could do was to let Teddy call us 'Dad' and 'Mum', but I can't shake the feeling that I'm taking the place of him."

Jacob sighed and said, "Harry, being a father is a wonderful job. It's the best job I've ever had and the pay is great. The best paycheck is when Hermione smiles and the greatest feeling is knowing that I put it there. I know that making being a Dad sound like a job is a terrible analogy, but it's a job for life and one I love. I did my work. This is your job now. Remus employed you to be his son's father. He appointed you to be the manager of his next of kin. And Teddy employed you to be his father. You do your job and Teddy will pay you with a smile. So, now you are 'Papa Harry'."

Harry loved Jacob's analogy. This was his life now. This was his job now and he hoped he was on the path for employee-of-the-month.

* * *

The little tyke woke up an hour later, hollering for his godparents. Harry rushed to the guest bedroom, only to be beaten by Hermione. She had taken the little boy into her arms from his cocoon of pillows that insured him from falling. Hermione bounced him around a little bit before changing his diaper. Hermione avoided her best friend's eye for a while and Harry noticed. He decided not to ask her about it now, he would wait until they got home.

Hermione threw the old diaper away in the rubbish bin downstairs and they placed Teddy on the floor with some toys. He played with a trainset that the Grangers had gotten for him to play with at their house.

"Oh, Hermione, we were thinking about turning the guest bedroom into a nursury for when Teddy comes to sleep if either of you two want a break or have plans and neither of you can watch him," Charlotte suggested.

Hermione looked at Harry, who grinned. Tears welled in her eyes and she stood to hug her mother. Teddy did the same, wrapping his arms around his godmother's leg, hugging it tight. "Teddy!" she giggled. The little boy loved giving hugs.

"Remember what I told you, Hermione," Charlotte whispered in her daughter's ear. Hermione nodded and Charlotte kissed her daughter's cheek.

"Harry, are you ready to go?" Hermione asked her best friend who nodded and shook Jacob's hand.

They all said their goodbyes and the two teenagers, with their godson, and Apparated home.

Avoiding Harry's eye, Hermione brought Teddy to the bathroom to give him a bath, leaving him in the living room. "I'm going give him a bath."

He wondered what was wrong with her. Why wouldn't she look at him? What did she and her mother talk about?

He shoved his hands in his pockets and went to the kitchen to start on dinner.

* * *

In Teddy's bathroom, Hermione had shut the door and put a Silencing Charm on it. Teddy was one of the only people she could "talk" to about Harry. He was like her "diary" or a pet. Someone she could just talk to and they would say anything mean back. "Do you think I should talk to him about it, Teddy? Can you even imagine it, buddy? Harry and I getting married? It's mad, huh?" She washed the baby soap from his stomach. "Pop!" He giggled as she poked him in the belly button. Teddy began slightly slapping his hands in the water as he "listened" to his godmother. Of course, he had no idea whatsoever of what she was saying, but he loved the sound of her sweet, angelic, soft voice. "What am I to do, Teddy? Should I talk to him and maybe ask him to marry me to keep you safe? Or should I not say anything and keep you in danger?" She sighed. "Well, I guess there's no choice but to talk to him, huh? We want you to stay with us and if marrying Harry means never letting you go...then I guess it's worth a shot...right?" she asked him.

Teddy looked up at her question with a wide grin on his face. "Yeah, that's what I thought. I should talk to him. Would that be awkward, though? Harry and I have been best friends since we were eleven. We have never seen each other that way before...have we?" Now she was confused...and so was Teddy. He stared up at her strange face as she talked about his godfather. That's all he knew what she was talking about. He knew who "Harry" was. He knew who "Hermione" was. They kept trying to get him to say their names a lot. He didn't want to. He felt as if they had their own names he wanted to call them by. They just had not come to him yet.

He giggled at his godmother's expression as she stared off into space thinking really hard and almost forgetting about him. "Now, I'm really confused."

Teddy just splashed his hands in the water and said, "_Uh-oh!_"

* * *

Hermione got Teddy in his blue onesie rocketship pajamas and took him downstairs for his dinner. Usually, they would feed him first and then give him a bath, but he had really needed to get clean. Hermione just put a Charm on him so that he if he should spill, it would just end up back in his dish before it hit anything. Harry had heated up some baby spaghetti for him and made himself and Hermione chicken pot pie. It was a quiet affair and Teddy looked from one to the other. Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth.

They were silly sometimes. Very silly. Why weren't they laughing and smiling and looking at each other? Why were they eating in silence? Why weren't they being the normal Harry and Hermione they usually were? It made Teddy a little sad and depressed and his hair turned to a depressing blue and he just ate his spaghetti in silence with them.

After dinner, Hermione cleaned Teddy's face of his dinner and brought him into the living room to play. Harry cleaned up in the kitchen and went to join his family in the living room. Teddy was playing with an airplane, one of Hermione's many Muggle toys she had gotten him to educate him of her home world. Hermione sat on the couch staring at him with a smile on her face. Harry watched them with fascination. "'Mione," he broke the silence. Both godmother and godson looked up at him at the noise. Hermione's smile faltered a bit. "Hey, Harry..."

"Hermione, what's been going on? Why have-why have you been avoiding me?" he asked curiously. He felt a little rejected.

Hermione looked away from him and to the doorframe. She stood and walked away, not sure if she wanted to tell him. She was too nervous. Teddy and Harry watched her leave. "Nah!" she heard, which made her stop and freeze. She turned and saw her godson, her baby boy, look at her with tears in his eyes. He stopped her from leaving. She stared at him, remembering who she was doing this for. Not for her. Not for Harry.

For Teddy.

Teddy was the the one to think about right now. Teddy was the one in danger. Teddy was the one who needed this. She inhaled and exhaled heavily. Teddy smiled when he saw she was going to stay.

Hermione looked up at her best friend.

"I need to talk to you."

TBC...

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**Well, after a long while, there's chapter 3! Sorry its been so long. I just got the new Avatar game, you know, the James Cameron one and I've been playing it nonstop for a while.**

**Btw, Happy Late Birthday, Emma Watson! Even though she'll probably never see this. 20 years!!! Whoo, go girl!**

**Anyway, will be updating Bound hopefully soon and Arranged and Adopted. And hopefully Found as well. Have all of the drafts already working on them. Just need to make one for Don't Go.**

**Anyway, pleez review!**

**DREWHHR**


	4. Sacrifice

**Hey, thanx for the reviews and all!**

**Anyway, let's just say this chapter's gonna be a little awkward. Haha.**

**Celestial Moon Goddess: yeah, I guess in a way, but she never really saw him like that, you know? I guess she may have in a way, but it's Harry, you know and it will be awkward. You'll have to ask her. Haha.**

_**Sacrifice**_

"_I need to talk to you._"

"Okay, what's wrong?" he asked sitting down on the couch. Hermione sat down next to him. Teddy watched them intently and aware of their motions. Hermione inhaled and exhaled heavily again and shut her eyes, trying not to falter. _For Teddy_. "My Mum and I were talking today and she has a theory. It's actually completely foolproof, but...it requires _a lot_ of sacrifice."

"Theory? Theory for what?" he asked confused.

"A theory for Teddy being safe. So Narcissa won't try to take him again. I-It's quite...awkward." She blushed as she realized she had to say it now. "Mum said that we should get married," she blurted out finally.

Harry's eyebrows slowly raised and disappeared behind his black fringe that was his bangs. "Did she?" was his answer.

"Yeah," she answered nervously avoiding his eyes, looking at Teddy. "I-It makes sense, though. She said that our powers-magic-were very, well...powerful already and if we bond, we could share our magic and become even more powerful. She said that no one would mess with us or want to take Teddy again. He would be safe...completely."

She waited for his response eagerly.

After a few minutes, he gave her one. "It seems very foolproof. Are we to take it seriously, though?"

"She was very serious about it."

"But why have you been avoiding me?" he asked. "It doesn't make sense."

She bit her lip and answered, "I guess I was just being a stupid schoolgirl, nervous about talking to you about this."

"You're not stupid," he protested with a smile and a chuckle. He could not believe she was thinking that _she_, off all people, was thinking she was stupid.

She looked at him and smiled, blushing. "Thanks." She looked back at Teddy, who yawned cutely, making the noises as well. "Any,way, it was just a suggestion. A theory. I'm going to go put him to bed. Goodnight, Harry." She stood and picked Teddy up in her arms. Harry said goodnight to Teddy and his best friend.

Bringing him up the stairs was when Hermione decided to exhaled heavily again, almost breaking down, glad to get that over with. Teddy stared at her curiously. "What, Teddy? Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked him.

He giggled and yawned again, getting sleepy. He snuggled more into her shoulder, keeping warm against the cold air that was the winter.

After she put him down, she went into her bedroom and got ready for bed, not aware that her night was going to be spent tossing and turning.

It is to say that Harry blamed Hermione. He blamed her for the sleepless night he was having. He checked his clock on his bedside table which flashed 1:37 am. He groaned and turned over onto his back, putting his hands behind his head. Why did Hermione have to say that right before they went to sleep? Marry Hermione? That was just nuts! Hermione was his best friend. She was the one who he confided in. She chased away his nightmares. She was there for him no matter what. She was the mother of his adopted child. _Their _child.

Now, her mother wanted them to marry. To protect their son.

Very...logical.

Yet, argumental.

He made up his mind.

The next few days passed in a blur. Harry spent some time with Ron and Draco as they were a little lonely as their girlfriends went back to Hogwarts for their final year. The three men went to a Quidditch game and even brought Jacob Granger with them. Muggles, of course, were not allowed, but they had explained to the ticket master that he was the father of a Muggleborn and he let him through. Jacob had asked him about Hermione and Teddy, which he replied to that they were fine.

December came and so did Teddy's first birthday. Harry and Hermione threw him a party, inviting the Weaselys, the Grangers, Luna, and Angelina. Luna and Ginny had Flooed from Hogwarts for the weekend. They were Seventh Years, so it was allowed.

Teddy was especially happy for this joyous occasion.

This was when the...occurrences started to happen.

It turned out that Teddy _was_ a werewolf, just like his father was. It started when Harry and Hermione were sleeping and they woke up to a loud cry. Usually, Teddy would never cry in the middle of the night, unless it was a nightmare. It was very unusual. The two young parents rolled out of their beds and rushed to the nursery to get their son. However, what they found shocked them.

Brown fur was beginning to grow on the toddler's normally peach body and he was on his hands and knees. When the two stormed in, Teddy looked up at them with big, green eyes and he said, "Uh-oh."

"Oh, Teddy..." Hermione gasped and rushed to him.

His body started to change. His limbs began to morph and the toddler cried out again in pain. Tears formed in Hermione's eyes as she watched the little boy in pain, but there was nothing she could do.

Suddenly, his face changed and his ears grew and a long nose formed. Teddy began to whimper and squeak, which turned into a small howl. "Shhh," Hermione soothed scratching behind his ears. Soon, a full baby wolf cub body had succumbed the baby Teddy inside. His clothes and diaper lay next to him. Teddy began to panic, not knowing what he was anymore. He rubbed the top of his head against her hand and began to shake, frightened. "Shh, it's okay, buddy, its okay." The wolf cub started to walk but stumbled a bit. He looked up at Hermione with his eyes and whimpered again. Hermione smiled and picked him up, cuddling him close to her neck for warmth. He nuzzled her neck and tried to keep warm. Harry walked up next to her and stroked his godson's fur. "Hey, Teddy." He licked his hand.

He met Hermione's eyes and they smiled at each other. "What do we do?" he asked.

"We play with him," was her answer. "Show him that nothing changes when he's like this. He's shaking and very frightened." She put him on the ground and sat down with her legs spread wide. Harry sat across from her. Teddy immediately crawled to Hermione's lap and laid his head down, whimpering again.

"It's okay, Teddy. It's okay. You're just changing. You're still the same Teddy. And I'm still the same 'Mione." She kissed the top of his head.

"Hey, Teddy, look what I have," came Harry's voice. Teddy looked up and saw his godfather with his red, rubber ball. "You want it?" Teddy's tail started wagging back and forth. He shot up and gazed at the blazing object. Harry rolled it across the room and Teddy took off after it. Harry and Hermione grinned at his little legs running. He surpassed the ball and looked around for it, but then he turned and saw it. Running to it, he pawed at the ball and it rolled back to Harry.

They continued to play with him until he tired out and fell asleep in Hermione's arms.

The next morning, Hermione woke up to a naked, human Teddy Lupin on her chest. She got confused as to why he was there, but then remembered what had happened. She picked up the sleeping boy gently and dressed him in a new diaper and fresh pair of clothes. In that time, Teddy woke up and smiled at her, yawning cutely. "Good morning, baby boy. Did you sleep well?"

She heard a noise behind her and turned, seeing Harry look at her confusedly and tiredly, as he just had woken up. Then his face softened as he realized what had happened.

"We need to monitor when full moons are now," she said reminding him. She had Teddy in her arms.

He nodded and stood up for the day.

Christmas time came soon and Harry went out to get a tree. He came back with a seven-foot-tall tree. Hermione grinned at it. "Harry, you did good."

"Thanks, I had to nearly knock this old man over to get it," he joked and Hermione playfully swatted his arm.

They spent all day putting lights on the Christmas tree and Harry lifted Teddy so that he could put the angel on the top of it. He clapped when he did. Hermione knitted Teddy a stocking that had a baby wolf cub on it and on the rim, it spelled out "Teddy" in beautiful, gold, cursive lettering.

* * *

For Christmas, the Weaselys and the Grangers came over to Potter Manor to celebrate with the young family. Draco Malfoy had came. He was still sort of nervous being around a...well, a _family_. His mother and father usually chose to ignore him and they never had good Christmases. It seemed that the Weaselys finally realized that he was not going to hurt anyone, especially Ginny, and welcomed him into the family. Harry and Hermione could see how in love the two were.

Egg nog, hot chocolate, and cookies were served after the giant turkey for lunch. After lunch, came the presents. Harry and Hermione each got a knitted sweater from Mrs. Weasely with gold "H"s on them. However, Harry's was emerald-green, while Hermione's was a lavender color.

Teddy was the one who had gotten the most presents. Although, Teddy Lupin was the kind of baby who found the boxes the presents came in more interesting than the toys. Twice he had gotten into a box and just sat there. Harry had grabbed the box and pushed him around in it. "Wheee!" Harry said playfully as Teddy laughed from his gut. Everyone saw what Harry was doing and laughed as the new father played with his son.

Harry was getting nervous. Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Granger had looked at him all night with various smiles on their faces. Harry was so happy for their approval. He had told them that he was going to do it tonight and were very happy that they were going to witness it. Harry was nervous as he was going to do it in front of everyone he knew. He looked at his best friend and smiled. She was playing "Peek-a-Boo" with Teddy. She was so beautiful in her black dress and her hair in slight ringlets. She looked back at him and smiled back.

Teddy looked at who his godmother was looking at and grinned at his godfather. "Da!" he cried calling for him. However, no one noticed he was actually trying to say "Dad!"; they just assumed it was more baby talk.

Harry inhaled a deep breath. It was time. Time to ask her. He exhaled heavily and closed his eyes for a moment and stuck his hand in his pocket to feel it; before walking over to her. "Hermione?"

She looked up at him curiously. "Hey, Harry."

"Can I ask you something?" he asked her scratching the back of his head. Charlotte and Jacob looked on intently, smiling as it was time.

"Sure," she replied standing up from the floor and following him to the doorframe. She was confused of why he was acting this way. He never asked her if he could ask a question. He never led her to the _doorframe_ to ask her, unless it was secret. Charlotte had picked up the little boy and held him as he watched his godparents walk away.

Harry just stood there, not saying anything. He looked around nervously, making Hermione a bit worried. "Harry, are you okay?"

"Yeah, just a little nervous," he replied, fully aware that everyone was looking at them. "Erm, Hermione, I know you think that it is a big sacrifice to do this, but I do not want anyone taking him away. You've been my best friend ever since we were eleven. You've always been there for me." He paused for a moment.

Hermione was getting confused. _'What was he doing exactly?'_ "Harry, what are you saying?"

"Well, what I'm basically asking is, well..." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the velvet box and got to one knee. Everyone gasped as they knew what Harry was going to do. Hermione's eyes widened. She knew she had suggested that they should get married, but she did not know he would actually go for it. "...Hermione Granger, will you marry me?" He opened the box and held out a beautiful, diamond ring to her.

It was a while before Hermione answered, "Yes."

TBC...

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**Well, after a while, there's chapter 4! It's not as good as my other stories. I tried to make it a mystery of what he was going to ask her, but that went down the drain. Haha. Sorry it was so short.**

**Anyway, pleez review!**

**DREWHHR**


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